City officials are reportedly alarmed as the president may turn D.C.'s July 4th event into 'another version of a Trump campaign rally'

President Donald Trump is trying to exert control over Washington, D.C.'s July Fourth celebrations this year, according to the Washington Post.

This has led to fears that he will make the event all about himself and potentially spend a lot of money:

 The president’s starring role has the potential to turn what has long been a nonpartisan celebration of the nation’s founding into another version of a Trump campaign rally. Officials said it is unclear how much the changes may cost, but the plans have already raised alarms among city officials and some lawmakers about the potential impact of such major alterations to a time-honored and well-organized summer tradition.

Typically, D.C. celebrations do not center on the president, which would threaten to turn the unifying event into a partisan affair. But apparently, Trump is more excited about the celebrations than he is about most of his job, the Post reported:

The president has received regular briefings on the effort in the Oval Office and has gotten involved in the minutiae of the planning — and initially argued that the fireworks should be launched from a barge in the Potomac River, administration aides said. The president has shown interest in the event that he often does not exhibit for other administration priorities, the aides added.

This isn't surprising. Trump has demonstrated time and again that he has no interest in policy details. But as one of his ghostwriters revealed in a recent article, Trump loves going over design plans and fabric swatches.

And as MSNBC's Chris Hayes aptly noted: